To be considered a competent educator, there are almost 2000 strategies, concepts, and terms that you must know. However, since teachers wear so many hats, who has the time to learn them all? Don’t worry; we have you covered. In this series, we will discuss all the teaching and learning strategies, concepts, and terms that you need to know to be considered an effective educator. There are over 70 articles in this series, so pace yourself. We recommend reading one piece per weekday, which will allow you to complete the series in three to four months. We hope you enjoy it.
Click here to read all the articles in this series.
Blend (consonant) A blend is when you take two letters and place them together (side-by-side) in a word, and you perceive both sounds. A few examples include: bl, gr, st, or nd.
Blended Learning Are classes where a percentage of the traditional face to face instruction is replaced with online learning.
Block Grant Is a means for educational funding where federal government monies are paid to the state in a “block,” rather than being specifically designated to particular programs or purchases
Block Schedule Is a system for scheduling junior high or high school days, usually by replacing the historical scheduling method six or seven 40-50 minute class periods with class periods that are longer in duration and meet fewer times during the week. For instance, a traditional block schedule class period may have 90-120 minutes and convene every two days instead of every day.
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives A guide to writing instructional goals developed by Benjamin Bloom, including a list of educational objectives.
Board of Trustees Governing body charged with overseeing the operations of a college or university.
Body/kinesthetic An individual’s skill at manipulating objects or controlling their movement.
Book Awareness An understanding of how books operate.
Book Club A format for the teaching of reading, developed by Susan McMahon and Taffy Raphael, in which students select the books they wish to read, discuss them in small groups, and share their reflections with the whole group.
Bookmark Technique A teaching idea that can help to monitor reading comprehension and make evaluative judgments about the text simultaneously. This technique can be used for in-class assignments and homework assignments using narrative and expository texts.
Bottleneck Theory A theory that memory is hindered by a child’s inability to retrieve information as opposed to a limited amount of memory storage.
Bottom-Up Approach A pedagogical method that emphasizes the subskills associated with reading and writing as well as the testing for proficiency in those subskills.
Bottom-Up Processing A learning method in which students gradually build basic skills into more complex ones.
Brain Function Our understanding of how the brain works. Examples include internal versus external locus of control, global versus analytic thinking, reflective versus impulsive behavior, personality dimensions, and thinking styles.
Brainstem The area of the brain that is continuous with the spinal cord develops first and controls the sleep-wake cycles and the fight-or-flight response.
Brainstorming A creative process that is used as an early step in generating possible solutions to a problem. Judgment is withheld to create a long list of ideas, including ones more creative or daring than those initially considered.
Brainwriting A problem-solving technique in which participants individually brainstorm ideas and document them, then share them with a group to further push their thinking.
Bullying/Cyberbullying Can be defined as aggressive, calculated actions perpetrated by a group or an individual repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend themselves. Bullying may be physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual in nature.
BYOD Is an edtech strategy used by educators, where students bring their own computer devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) into the classroom, which will be used by them to participate in various learning experiences. As a kind of movement within education, BYOD has already gained momentum in many districts across the country but should continue towards mass adoption within this calendar year.
